


Destined Bearers

by JejuneMondegreen



Category: Legend of Zelda
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-01-06
Updated: 2012-01-06
Packaged: 2017-10-29 01:52:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/314549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JejuneMondegreen/pseuds/JejuneMondegreen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link, a lazy-yet-adventerous farm hand, must take up the Master Sword and join forces with Princess Zelda when a mysterious sorceress threatens Hyrule.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

Princess Zelda sat in her cushy red throne, rather plain looking next to the immaculate, gold and jewel encrusted, velvet setup her father had next to her. Before her stood a young page of the royal family, a frantic and worried look on his face. He was trembling and sweating, his head low and his hat clenched so hard in his fists his knuckles were turning white. Or perhaps it was fear that was doing that to him? The King was rather frightening when he was angry, even if the anger wasn't directed at anyone in particular. However, his rage was boiling over at the Zora's this time, and even though it wasn't the page's fault that they were being so rude to the king, he was the bearer of the bad news, and would be the brunt of the king's wrath for today. Zelda couldn't help but feel sorry for the man.

"Who do they think they are?" King Daphnes bellowed. "Telling us to stop drawing water from Lake Floria?"

"They say there's something wrong, Your Highness. Their queen has fallen ill, and the lake is mysteriously draining." The page quivered in his boots, waiting for the next bout of shouting.

"Give them this message: Their leader shall no longer refer to herself as a queen, nor her daughter as princess. There is only one royal family in this country, and you are standing before them!"

"Anything else, Your Majesty?" the page squeaked.

"We will continue drawing water from the lake, whether they like it or not!"

King Daphnes slumped back down into his throne. Beads of sweat ran down his round face, and his forehead was creased with lines of rage. His hands were still balled up into fists on the armrests of his seat, and Zelda could see them visibly shaking.

Ever since the death of her mother, the queen, Daphnes had become unbearable. He was always lost in deep, brooding though, or seething and throwing a tantrum. Zelda had taken on her mother's quiet, calm demeanor, so her father's fits often rattled her when she was younger. As she aged, though, she had learned to live with them. Most of the time, his anger wasn't even towards her, but towards the other races that co-existed with the Hylian people, the Gorons and the Zoras. Another thorn in his side was also the recent uprising of a group of bandits in the desert, calling themselves the Gerudo. They overtook the prison built in the desert to contain them, turning it into a fortress and stealing from those who had to travel through the desert to reach the plains.

The thievery wasn't the only problem. According to Daphnes, their worship of their deity, The Goddess of the Sands, was blasphemy. Countless missionaries preaching Hylia's teachings were sent to the desert to convert those her father referred to as "greedy, thieving chuchu's; Spineless creatures that absorb whatever wealth they can". Very few actually returned, and all of them could only report failure.

"I will not let a little tribe of jellyfish ruin our festival plans."

Zelda was brought out of her thoughts by her fathers voice. He wasn't particularly speaking to her, but she was the only other person in the room, so she was expected to listen.

"Zelda."

The princess nearly jumped when her father barked at her. She looked up at him, now standing before her, his steel blue eyes looking down at her in their typical, narrowed fashion.

"The wedding announcement will be made on the day of the festival as well. I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"Yes, Your Highness."

As soon as the king turned away from her, Zelda rolled her eyes. Her father had been obsessed with her arranged marriage for almost a year now, ordering dress after dress, designing immaculate cakes, inviting guests, de-inviting guests, the list went on. He had Zelda meet with her future husband every weekend in his manor house. Groose was truly in favor of Daphnes. He already addressed the red-headed youth as his son, and Groose addressed Daphnes as his father. Zelda, however, felt rather differently about her fiance. He was pompous, rude, and self centered. Not to mention his ridiculous hair, and that his name sounded more like an annoying, honking bird than a king's. She didn't directly protest her father's wishes, though. This was for the good of her people.

 _Your role in the protection of your people goes far beyond your earthly duties..._

Zelda's head shot up. She scanned the room, only to find it empty. Her father must have stormed off somewhere, for she was completely alone. Where had the voice come from, then? The voice that sounded so sweet... so soft and familiar. She shook her head. It must have just been a trick of her own mind.

~ ~ ~ ~

"Link, darling, wake up."

Link opened his bleary eyes, only to be met with bright sunlight that forced him to clamp them shut again. Marin was sitting on the edge of his mattress, gently shaking him by the shoulder to wake him. He groaned and pulled at his quilt, twisted around his body. He always moved around when he slept, usually waking up in the morning to find himself curled into a ball at the end of his bed, with his blankets swaddled around him like a cocoon, and Tiki sleeping peacefully on his pillow, since he was no longer occupying it. As usual, the little remlit was there, snoozing away. Her eyes flickered open and she stretched and mewed. She padded over to Link and licked his face with her sand papery tongue, urging him to get up. It was his job to feed her, so the creature became accustomed to waking him up and forcing him out of bed to provide for her.

He reached out and gave Tiki a scratch on the head, right between her ears. She purred and slumped back down on the mattress.

"I'll be down in a few minutes." Link yawned.

"Just hurry up. Malon is getting impatient."

Link groaned and stretched out, relishing a few more seconds of comfort before forcing himself to sit up. Malon impatient wasn't a pretty thing to see. His adoptive sister was always impulsive and energetic, making Link look even more lazy next to her. While she was up at the crack of dawn each day, doing her chores on the farm, Marin and Talon had to hook Link up to a team of work horses to drag him out of bed. He didn't waste too much time, though. Even after all these years living with them, he couldn't call Marin and Talon "mom" or "dad", and still felt more like he was in debt to them for taking him in, even if they insisted he wasn't.

Link wandered into the kitchen, lured by the smell of goat sausage and eggs frying. Talon and Malon were already dressed for the day and seated at the table, and Marin was toiling away, preparing breakfast. Link slid down into his usual spot, next to Malon, and across from Talon. The man smiled at him through his thick mustache.

"Mornin', Sleepyhead," he greeted cheerfully. "I think this is the earliest I've ever seen you awake. Bet you couldn't sleep at all last night, knowing what today is."

Link, still in a groggy state of confusion, cocked his head at Talon. "Huh?"

Malon giggled. "Oh, Daddy, he's forgotten all about it!"

"Forgotten what?" Link looked from Malon's bright, smiling face to Talon.

"The Festival of The Hero, Link," Marin said as she slid some of the goat sausage and scrambled eggs onto Link's plate. "After the morning chores are done today we head into town to present our gift to the royal family."

"They're sure to love it this year." Talon sat back in his chair, looking accomplished. "That mare is the crown jewel in our collection. I've never seen such a brilliant red in a horse."

"They're sure to love it," Malon smiled. "She's so beautiful."

In his spare time, Talon bred horses for nobles, and taught Link everything he knew about creating the perfect horse. Depending on what the future owner wanted, Talon would breed them for size, strength, stamina, coat and mane color, anything they wanted. It was a slow process, but it was Talon's pet project, and when a horse was successfully sold, there was extra money in the household for luxuries they normally wouldn't be able to purchase. It was how Link was able to get his first sword. It was a simple short sword, used in academies for students, but he treasured it nonetheless.

"I'll miss the girl. She would have made a fine racehorse."

The blur of red flashed before Link's eyes. Epona, the horse Talon had been trying to produce for nearly fifteen years, and his most treasured horse. Link had ridden her a few times, and she had gained the nickname "The Red Terror" for her speed and stamina. She was a muscular, beautiful horse with a rust colored hide and snowy white mane. She would be presented to the king himself by Talon.

"You don't have to give her away," Link remarked. He meant it, too. He had become rather attached to the mare in his time caring for her.

Talon threw his head back with laughter. "You know I can't do that Link. She's a lovely horse and all, but the money she's worth is important to our family." Talon looked at him with his bright eyes and winked. "But maybe you can breed one of your own someday?"

Link couldn't help but smile. "It took you fifteen years to breed Epona. I might be an old man before I produce a horse like her again."

"Tell you what, Link," Talon said between bites of sausage, "I'll let you present her to the king, that way you can say your goodbyes."

"Maybe you'll even get to meet Princess Zelda." Malon smiled slyly at Link, and he rolled his eyes.

"I doubt it."

"The King said that there would be a special announcement at the festival today involving Princess Zelda. I'd think she'd be there." Marin sat down in her place. "You might get to catch a glimpse of her."

Link eagerly downed the rest of his breakfast. He wanted one last chance to ride Epona before she was handed over to the king, even if it was only for a few minutes. He rushed out of the tiny farmhouse and through the pumpkin field, up to the doors of the stable.

Inside was dark, except for the sun that managed to break through the open windows and little pigeon holes in the roof. It was warm, and smelled of sweet hay. Link took in a deep breath. He could never get tired of the smell, and it always made him feel so relaxed, he might just fall into a pile of hay and sleep. He had done it a few times before, only to be awoken by Malon gently poking him in the chest with a pitchfork and scolding him for being so lazy.

Two rows of pens lined the stables, and Link's feet instinctively carried him to the very last one on the right, where Epona was kept. She was sticking her head out over the gate, eagerly awaiting him. She tossed her head back and whinnied loudly. Even if she couldn't speak, it was obvious that she was happy to see him. Link patted her on the neck and unlatched the gate.

He lead her out into the corral, jumping up onto her back without even bothering to put a saddle and reins on her. Link wrapped his arms around Epona's neck and gave her a little squeeze with his legs. At once she took off at breathtaking speed. Her hooves clopped on the ground, throwing up dirt and grass, making a rhythmic pounding noise as they came into contact with the earth to propel her forward. Once Link felt the rhythm of her movement, he slowly loosened his grip on her neck, allowing himself to sit up.

Wind rushed through his hair and thrummed in his ears. This is when he was truly at peace. To be riding as fast as Epona could carry him, letting himself get lost in the feeling of it all. It was absolutely perfect. The only thing wrong with the moment was the size of the corral. It was so small. More often than once, Link was tempted to sneak Epona out and take her for a ride through the fields at night, when no one was awake. Talon would be cross with him if he did, but Link craved the adventure.

A sharp whistling noise ran through the air. It started out as a loud, high pitched tone, but it eventually warped into a simple, descending three note call. Malon stood at the gate of the corral with a piece of whistle grass still clamped in her fingers and held to her mouth. Epona veered in her direction and came to a halt in front of the red-headed girl.

"Link, you're supposed to be doing chores, not daydreaming," Malon huffed, and her hands were on her hips.

"I just wanted to take her for one last ride before..." Link trailed off, and began to absentmindedly run his fingers through Epona's mane.

Malon's eyes soften just a bit. "Well, just make sure to feed the cuckoo's before we leave."

Link smiled at her. "Thank, Malon."

"Don't forget!" Malon said, her voice back to it's scolding tone. "And don't harass them this time!"

"Malon, that was one time. I won't do it again, I swear."

"You tried to use a cuckoo to fly off the roof, Link. A cuckoo."

Link squeezed Epona's sides again and the mare began to trot away obediently. Malon called after him, but Link only laughed.

"Sorry, Mal! I can't hear you!"

Epona picked up speed once again, and began down the dirt track that wound around the corral. Just a few more minutes, Link thought, then I'll do my chores.


	2. Destiny

Castle Town was always a busy place from what Link had seen, when he observed the streets in the back of the covered wagon to deliver milk and other produce. This time, however, The of the Festival of the Hero, was a different story all together. The entire square, from the fountain to the shade under the awnings of buildings, was jam packed with people. There was just barely enough room to squeeze Epona through the streets, especially when it came to navigating through crowds of people going in the opposite direction. More than once, Link was bumped so hard he let go of Epona's reigns and nearly lost her in the sea of festival goers, putting a damper on his mood. A goddess worshiping festival wasn't exactly the place he would like to be, and he wasn't enjoying the fact that he was leading the rust-red mare through the crowd so he could hand her over to some entitled nobles. He refused to let it show, however. He didn't want to ruin Talon, Malon and Marin's time. He kept to himself instead, and tried to stay as close to Epona as possible. He wanted to at least say goodbye to her before she was gone.

 _Link._

He searched the crowd, looking for whoever might have just called out to him. They sounded so close, Link was sure they'd be nearby. No one was even looking at him though. He was probably just hearing things. The way everyone's speech meshed together in such an audience, there was bound to be noises that sounded like his name.

"Are we heading to the castle right away?" Link shouted to Talon over the din.

Talon shook his head. "The King wants us to present Epona to him on stage."

Link shrugged. Usually nobles had their horses delivered straight to their stables. King Daphnes probably just wanted to put on a performance, show off the new, prized horse he was receiving. At least Talon would gain some publicity this way. If the King wanted a horse from him, his subjects would surely clamor to get their own.

"Hey Link." Malon put a hand on his shoulder. "Mom and I are going to get masks. You want one?"

"How about the yellow fox one? Kee-somthing..."

Malon puffed up her cheeks. "Link, the Keaton mask is for little kids."

Link shrugged and smiled. "I'm a kid at heart, right? That's what you always say."

Malon, unable to come up with a retort, nodded and slipped away through a throng of shoppers, followed closely by Marin. Link set his sights towards the stage set up by the towns north gate, only to notice that Talon had vanished as well. Link sighed in frustration. Talon was so eager to be there to present Epona to King Daphnes. Hopefully he'd be waiting by the stage before that happened. Link imagined he would be there. This was the most important moment of his life, or so he called it.

 _Link._

Link knew he wasn't hallucinating this time. The voice was so clear, almost like whoever was calling him was right beside him, speaking directly into his ears. He turned his head to the right, in the direction it sounded like it came from. Past the crowds of people was the steps leading up to the Sealed Grounds and the grand temple built upon it. Link's eyes crept up to the steeple jutting into the blue sky. The place had been there for as long as anyone could remember. It was in ruins for so long, but a few hundred years ago it was restored and became a place of worship. Link had never set foot inside the place, nor did he ever want to, but there was something strange about it.

Link snapped out of his daydream and turned his attention back to the streets, hoping to catch sight of Talon, but instead glimpsed something else. A tall, slender woman with long, blonde hair that moved in an invisible breeze. Her dress fluttered around her feet, and Link could see that she was hovering above the stone path. She went completely unnoticed by the crowd, except for Link. She was looking directly at him, then, much to his surprise, floated backwards and into the crowd, vanishing from his view.

Link tugged Epona's reigns and urged her along with him. He desperately searched, trying to see the being again. There she was, only a few feet away, floating at the top landing of the stone staircase. When they made eye contact again she turned up the path, into the courtyard. Link scrambled up the stairs, and came to a stop at the huge double doors of the temple. The noise of the streets had died down now, and he could hear birds chirping. He looked back to Epona.

"Stay here, girl." He ran his fingers down her neck. "This should only be a few minutes."

Link released her reins, and turned to push the doors open. They were far heavier than they looked, and made a low pitched rumbling noise as the metal scraped against the polished stone floors of the interior. He stepped inside, staying on the tips of his toes, as if he were sneaking out of the house late at night. The doors closed behind him again, and he was left in total silence.

The temple was beautiful. From the clean, checkered floor to the high vaulted ceilings, everything sparkled with a pristine, fresh feeling. Plush red carpets had been rolled out from the door Link had just entered from, to the stone slab in the middle of the room. He had never seen it with his own eyes, but everyone called it the Gate of Time, a device the Chosen Hero used to travel into the past and defeat a great evil from legends. It was dormant now, and just sat as a huge, black and blue centerpiece.

"It's nothing special, really," Link said to himself, shrugging.

To the left was another set of doors that lead to the Goddess Statue, where the Triforce was located. The doors were always locked and sealed, and high walls of natural cliff face surrounded the place, making it impossible for anyone to enter. Link didn't even think the thing existed. If no one had seen it for hundreds of years, what were the chances of it being real?

"Link."

Link turned to the voice. There was the woman again, floating in front of yet another set of doors. Her expression was tender and motherly, from her blue eyes to the small, wise smile in her pink lips. She was beautiful, and the way she called out to Link made him feel protected. It was strange, to feel this way over a person he had never seen before, but something told him she was no ordinary person.

"Yeah?" Link answered weakly. She was obviously of higher status than him, and a sudden feeling of embarrassment rushed through him for addressing her so casually.

"Please follow me."

"Well, that's what I've been doing."

Link approached the woman, climbing the altar to the doors. She floated backwards again, this time slipping right through them. Link stopped a moment to puzzle this, before pushing the doors open.

He found himself in another chamber of the temple. The room was bare, except for the pedestal in the middle. A sword was jammed into it, and it's blue hilt glittered in the shaft of light that came from the only window in the room. The woman was next to it, waiting for him it seemed.

"Please draw the sword from the pedestal, Link." She extended her hand towards the sword, welcoming him to take it.

"Why?" Link narrowed his eyes at her. Something was up.

"It is your destiny to take this sword."

Link clenched and unclenched his fists. Something felt strange. If he was found to be tampering with something in the temple, he could be in huge trouble. Talon and Marin wouldn't like that. Link had already put them through enough.

"Link, please take the sword," the woman urged. He suddenly felt the same pang of worry she seemed to be expressing.

Link nodded in affirmation. He strode forward and stood at the pedestal. He wrapped his fingers around the grip, and with some effort, pulled it free from it's place in the stone. A rush of blue light surrounded him, and he felt his consciousness fade.

~ ~ ~ ~

Zelda paced quickly through the streets, followed closely by her bodyguard and personal attendant, Impa. When she heard the news, she didn't bother to wait for the healers to deliver the boy to the castle. She wanted to see him herself. She gave the temple doors a shove and ran inside, looking to the chamber the Master Sword was to be in.

It was just as the informants said. The seal on the doors had been broken, and they now were open, revealing the chamber to her. A small group had gathered in there, a stretcher on the ground next to them. Zelda strode up to them, and they moved out of the way for her, bowing deeply at the sight of her.

A young man, probably no older than seventeen, was laying on the marble floor, in what appeared to be a deep sleep. The Master Sword was clutched in his left hand, and there was a rhythmic rise and fall of his chest.

"Just as my dream foretold, Impa." Zelda couldn't suppress the triumphant smile her lips curled into.

Impa simply nodded. She was always a person of few words, and always kept her expression as unreadable as possible.

One of the the healers removed the Master Sword from his grip while the others loaded him onto the stretcher, and held it uncertainly in her hands. She looked from the blade to Zelda, an expression of confusion on her face.

"What should we do with the blade, Your Highness?"

"Deliver him and the sword to my chamber. I will speak to him when he wakes."

The healers all looked to each other with worried faces. A man other than her fiance in Princess Zelda's chamber was sure to infuriate King Daphnes, especially when it was a commoner that was found sneaking into the Sealed Grounds. They didn't question her, however. The days events were already turning out strange enough.

The walk back to the castle was simple for Zelda. Crowds naturally parted for the royalty, although many curious glances were thrown at the stretcher bearing the young blonde man behind her. They would understand soon enough. Even her father would have to believe her now. At this time, though, she was happy to have not run into him. Her "I told you so" speech could wait until the boy had learned of his destiny and was no long occupying her bedroom.

Wordlessly, the healers hoisted the youth onto Zelda's thick, downy mattress and scurried out with the stretcher. They had placed the Master Sword against on of the posts at the foot of the bed. When they were gone, Zelda finally took a step closer to inspect it and the stranger.

He was definitely young, like her. Throughout history, it seemed, the gods liked to choose teenagers just on the cusp of adulthood to take up world saving and monster slaying as hobbies. The prophetic dreams she had had for the last month had come as a surprise to her, but it was nothing compared to what fate had in store for him. Zelda gazed at his face, somewhat round and childish, and let out a little sigh. There was going to be so much hardship in his future, and even though she knew nothing about him, she couldn't help but wish that she could alleviate some of it. Perhaps she could?

In a swift motion, she tugged the curtains of her canopy bed shut around him. Let the boy rest for now. She moved to the sword next. Propped up against the bedpost, it's blade and jeweled hilt glistened in the afternoon sun from her windows. The blade itself also seemed to possess it's own unearthly glow. The Master Sword looked just as it did when it was described in legends, and in Zelda's dreams.

Zelda moved over to her desk and grabbed the shield sitting on it. It had been difficult to sneak it out of the throne room, but she felt like this would be the shield to keep the boy safe in his journey. Passed down through generations of royalty, the Hylian Shield was nigh indestructible, and could protect the user from the elements, as well as dark magic. She placed it against the Master Sword, so that when he woke, he could take both of them.

Zelda sat at her desk and gazed out her window into the garden. Now all that was left to do was wait.


End file.
